Art: Treasures from Sinai

For 14 centuries the Greek Orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine has
stood serene and safe beneath the shoulder of Mount Sinai. Founded in
527 by the Emperor Justinian, it is in one of the world's most
inhospitable places. A traveler must drive 100 miles southeast from
Suez across jagged wilderness, then turn off along a succession of dry
stream beds for an eight-hour climb to the gates, 5,000 feet above the
Red Sea. Its one tiny door swings open only for men bearing letters of
introduction from the Greek Archbishop of Cairo.